My first visit to the Austin location. Similar look and feel as the Raleigh location, a bit more spacious, with a few sofas and soft chairs for those who don't want to sit at a table. They have wifi, but I was unable to connect the day I was there. Service was prompt and attentive and server was somewhat knowledgeable. A wide representation of Texas brews are draft and I believe all of the Austin breweries had at least one tap. While Texas beer has a long way to go before it comes close to matching the quality of the product from CA, CO, or OR, if you're from out of it's worth a try. (And if you live in town, it's nice to be able to support the local craft brewers.). Prices are very reasonable, averaging about $4 a pint for what I ordered.

Note: Don't bother with on the street parking. Park in the garage off of 46th and walk north through the area between Mama Fu's and Triangle Chiropractic.

My first visit to a Flying Saucer Draught Emporium. A touch 'over-sportsy' for my tastes, but 'what the heck'.(It's more about disc golf than UFO's. Flying 'Saucers', get it?)

A nice enough place. They have a really good tap selection. They have approximately 50 - 60 beers on-tap. A rotating cask selection. Another probably 200 beers in bottles.

They offer four different geographically-oriented flights. Also a hops flight or a malts flight, in case you want to bone-up on some knowledge. And, a Build Your Own flight, where you pick 5 different beers from the tap wall that you'd like to try.

The beer selection is pretty all-encompassing and most all beer producing regions are represented. Naturally, they have a good offering of Texas-made beers. The menu is broken down into styles of beers, for your ordering convinience.

We were there at around 11:00am, on a Tuesday, and set at the bar for lunch. The place was rather relaxed and almost empty when we came in. The bartender had a trainee, which worked out very well, as they devoted a lot of time to us, and we managed to help the new girl out with a bit of beer knowledge. As the lunch crowd packed in, our bartender maintained a very good level of service.

The food was better than expected, even if I think that they might be just a touch too proud of it. That's alright though. I go to places like this for the beer. You should too! (At least once.)

This place gets really busy really fast but it's pretty worth it. They are a beer lover's heaven. Lots of taps and a massive beer menu. They have brewery pint nights once a week usually. (Free pint glasses!)

They have a typical pub decor. The food is pretty good surprisingly. I was expecting some pretty run of the mill burgers and such given the extreme emphasis on beer. I thought the food would be an afterthought but that was definitely not the case.

I guess the only downside would be the service. It's just hard to find a table and i think it's a little hard to get the attention of your waiter or waitress. Overall a great place.

Tucked away in The Triangle mini-mall on West 47th Street off of Lamar Boulevard, the building was semi-circular with a good bit of patio seating behind a short concrete wall on the left facing side of the building. The fire exit was on the side of the parking area, so I had to transit around and to the left to enter. Coming in through the short vestibule, the snaking, sea-green concrete-topped bar was directly in front of me. Once more, a wall of pennies embedded into the wall and sealed with acrylic served as the basis for the back bar, which was the line of taps. Shelves of glassware and bottles sat above the back bar with a huge chalkboard center. Two two-doored coolers flanked either side of the wall of taps with the kitchen to the extreme left, followed by an archway that led to the lavs. Not as many plates in the overhead as at other places that I have visited, but on the other hand, lots of Frisbees were on display. Standard restaurant tables and chairs in the bar area, followed by more of the same, along with the big, comfy chairs, leather sofas and booths in the restaurant area. As usual, the waitstaff was a major attraction (unless you are dead). My server was Teddy (not AM SERVER as my check later read).

By far the best quality this place has is the selection of the beers. It's very good if you can have over 100 beers to choose from, so you can always pick something new each time you visit.

The atmosphere here generally are good, and it can be somewhat lively when the college crowd descend on the restaurant. However, if you come here often enough, you can guess when will be the "slow" night if you wanted some quiet and few beers.

The drawback, for me, is the menu. While I can't say I have tried every item on the menu, I can certainly say that there seems to be some inconsistency in the quality of the food. For example, the wings aren't very good at all, and it's overpriced. Some of the hot sandwiches aren't so bad, and some of the appetizers are good too.

I am a strong believer that every pub should strive to have absolutely amazing food to go along with some of the best beers they have to offer. Flying Saucer doesn't quite do this, but why am I not surprised? I usually only come here for the beer.

They missed their target date to open. I can understand this. Especially with the holidays the week before. So I went back by last night to check it out.I was not all that impressed by it. I arrived around 5:45 and was lucky to find a parking space, especially since it was raining. The place was pretty full. The decor was pretty cool also. It has a descent amount of taps but here is the kicker, about half of them were dry! One would think with a very anticipated opening they would have plenty of backup. I am a hop head so I was wanting to try some IPA's according to the menu there is only 4 ipa's on tap 2 of those were floated. the remaining was SN and avery IPA. I was happy to see they had steamworks conductor in a bottle there $8 I was also surprised they did not have stone IPA on tap. They do have some variety in bottles but the draught selection was not revolutionary. On the other hand the food was real tasty. $659 for a burger and fries. Ok I'll go for that. The burger was small, but it was on a wheat bun. The serving of fries was small as if they were afraid they might run out of them or something. Literally I had like 10 fries on my plate. I ordered another round of fries. The burger and fries were both really tasty. So a thumbs up on quality but thumbs down on quantity.I recommend it for lunch, which will leave you craving dinner later on. The waitress had to keep going back and forth to see if they had the beer that was on the menu. This place is definitely geared towards the college crowd who are more in to eyecandy than great service.

If this was the only sort of bar/eatery of its kind in austin then I would have been impressed, but since there are other beer bars with more variety and with better atmosphere, the flying saucer is just an addition to the growing selection of places to find beers other than your regular piss (bud, miller, and coors)

Just not impressed with the establishment , but the burgers where tasty.

If you want an awesome atmosphere, great selection of beers, and knowledgeable staff do not go here there are better choices in austin (Draught house and gingerman by far)

***Update review. There is a BA member that is managing the beers now here. Sam has been great. He really shows love to the BA members. If your a BA member and seek this place out ask for sam at the bar. He's always willing to talk beer and ask him how his homebrew is coming along. The first time I reviewed this place I left underwhelmed and not a willing participant on going back. I have been twice in the last week and both times had a blast. This is still geared toward a younger crowd with a higher octane atmosphere. The girls are definitely eyecandy here. The bar tenders where on the ball as well. One of them busted out julius ecther when she was asked her favorite hefe was. Holy shit first time I heard anyone mentioned that beer was my fav for a while as well. Very prompt service and I guess they read my review on getting a small amount of fries. This time the plate had them falling off. I ran out of ketchup and still had fries left. The queso and chips are tasty as well. They definitely have move up a couple of notched for me so I am changing my review to reflected the recent changes.

Opened in January of 2008 as the 14th store in the chain (2 have closed). 70 taps on the wall and they try to keep in stock around 140 bottles (usually 4 non-alcoholic and 1 root beer). The beer garden feels wasted with the couches and regular tables, I would have preferred more of a setup like San Antonio's with cafeteria style tables.

Food is pretty good, sometimes feels overpriced. Use to have awesome potato salad but last time I went I couldn't even finish two bites of it, someone said they switched food suppliers. They defenitely get knocked for sub par queso which is a must in Austin.

They have a UFO club where if you drink 200 different beers (limit 3 per day) you get a plate on the wall and a $100 bar tab to have a party with your friends. Cost $14 to join and you get a tshirt at sign up.

Two dart boards which are of decent quality and have ok lighting. Sometimes the windows are open the draft shoots through the dart lane. If you are going to play darts just get your beer from the bar it is the fastest way. Several people have suggested coat hooks by the boards but none have appeared. Also on very crowded nights groups will stand in the lanes and if you want to play it is a pain to get them out of the way.

The place gets crowded most nights and seating is first come first serve but I've never had a problem finding seating with random groups if you just ask nicely. Parking use to be a hassle but now the parking garage is open it hasn't been an issue. The patio is large and tables seem to turn over fast enough if you can't seem to find a place to sit.

Service can be really hit or miss. Personally I was go to the bar to get my drinks unless I know the waitress to be good (and there are several). All the staff goes through training on the different styles of beers and they try to be knowledgeable when you ask questions. Some of the better ones actually know a fair amount and have offered up some good picks.

Waitress to get: Lindsay, Stephanie, Cassie, Laura, and Sarah

In the end a lot of people will still like the Ginger Man or The Draught House over the Flying Saucer. I think The Flying Saucer fills the gap for people who like the GM but hate dealing with downtown. And also people who enjoy more service then the The Draught House tends to offer.

The Details:Happy Hour 4-7 with 23 oz glasses for the price of pints

Monday is pint night where everything that isn't a big beer is $2.75 a pint

Tuesday is trivia night

Wednesday is glass night where you get to keep the glass your beer comes in

Thursday is mystery beer night where you get a random (for the most part decent) beer for $2

I was just there for pint night. $2.75 pints aren't bad. Regular prices are ok, but the happy hours are pretty good.

Atmosphere is typical English style pub, only with Hooters-lite waitstaff. I'm more interested in their brew knowledge than their outfits and they do alright in that aspect. They know their brews and they have decent recommendations. Additional, my server was attentive but not overly solicitous, big plus!

Swung by the Austin saucer after hearing they had Boulevard's Single-wide IPA on "Fire Sale" for $2.75 a pint--heck of a price!

Enjoyed the spring weather on the porch under a Paulaner umbrella, drank my IPA and ordered some brat nachos. Not quite as good as how they make them at the Raleigh saucer, IMO...something with the cheese or how they slice the bratwurst. Service was good, although for a Saturday afternoon it should be. Waitress was a bit ditzy and didn't really know her beer stuff like a good Beer Goddess should. Still, she was attentive and prompt (for the most part).

The selection is typical for a Flying Saucer, but you're slightly better off hitting up the Draughthouse or Ginger Man if you want a hefty tap selection while in Austin. Bottled list is extensive, but the expensive prices make me shy away from them. All in all, a serviceable FS location. Not the best, but it fulfills the qualities of the ever-growing, ever-popular beer chain.

The place was pretty much packed when I got there around 11pm on a Friday. The waitress apologized for the wait times and told us we had gotten there just around the rush.

The place was a bit too noisy, but it's a large place with both indoors and outdoors seating, so it's pretty much expected to be pretty loud. Not too loud considering the number of people though.

The beer menu featured a pretty good selection. In theory. In reality they didn't really have the beers I wanted. The only beer on the entire menu that I wanted to try (one of the Jester King's) was out. I ended up settling on the Chocolate Truffle, which is a Young's Chocolate Stout with a splash of Lindeman's Framboise. Unfortunately, they were out of Framboise too, so they had to substitute Timmerman's Strawberry lambic.

While the menu was pretty large, lots of the beers were pretty low grade stuff you'd find at a gas station or grocery store. They had a few Trappist beers, which was suprising though. I might have tried the Orval if it didn't cost $10 a glass - which I suppose is a reasonable price for a bar.

The waitress was nice, talkative, and I gathered that the job had turned her onto craft beer (rather than the other way around). She gave us some recommendations and let us have some 1 oz samples. I didn't like any of her recommendations, but no point in shooting the messanger!

Overall, the place was enjoyable if somewhat disappointing. Their "fire sales" are pretty cool though. Every while (maybe hour or so?) they write on the chalk board the name of a different beer they're lowering the price of to sell fast for about $3 a pint.

Most of this review was from Jan 14, 2008 -- They opened Jan 10. I've added a few comments though.- Parking not bad -- it was a Monday, though.- Comprehensive, well organized beer menu.- Waitress was clueless about the beers ( but cute). Woe to the casual beermonger that needs help in making a decision on what to drink.- They should post the % ABV on the menu. They had Avery Mephistopheles as a guest beer (16%!!) Somebody should know that before buying.- My friends LOVED the UFO club. They were intent on drinking the 200 beers to get their saucer on the wall and the free T shirt.- The bratwurst was disappointing. Poorly warmed bratwurst , kinda greasy. Covered up by lots of kraut and mustard. Roll was nice, though.- Bratwurst and Abt 12 is not a good pairing.- I guess they'll have outside seating when it warms up.- I had a Brackenridge 471, Abt 12, Franziskaner Hefeweizen, and Racer 5. Only the Abt 12 had 1 finger of foam the others had absolutely no head.- They really need to increase the CO2 pressure on their gas. All the beers are stadium pours -- absolutely no head. I've had some beers that were kind of flat also.

Located in the Triangle shopping center, this is pretty much your typical Saucer. Except for the awesome patio outside with wood benches, and the inside has a bit more wood accents than the Houston locations. Still same old penny lined tap wall.

Service..pretty much the same. It entirely depends on what time you come and who you get. Early weekday, wide open and no problems. Food is exactly the same as almost every other location I have been to, and frankly bad. Which is par for the coarse.

Good selection of beers. Tons of Texas options, as well as the usual mix of good national brands and imports. I still love seeing Firestone Walker on tap. I guess since it has not hit Houston, it is still a new sight for me. Good beer, cool patio area, that is about it.

The Triangle mixed use development has some general problems with aesthetics, that said the saucer does a decent job a generating an old pub feel in the middle of some chaotic and shoddy postmodern architecture. Dark wood and nice old furniture. My biggest problem is the TVs, they are huge and they are every where, unless you go outside there really is no place to sit without a giant distraction machine in full view.

The clientele is a nice mix off folks that are usually fun to talk with but there is a touch of just moved to Austin yuppie hipster floating around.

The service here is a little weird. In this area, the saucer franchise is doings its best to channel some kind of cleaned up hooters vibe. The vast majority of the servers are young attractive women in school girl short skirts and tight t-shirts. You can say whatever you want, but this adds a little to much frat boy sports bar for my tastes. In addition, I know from a friend that these young ladies have to pass a reasonably thorough beer knowledge exam but their lack of 1st hand beer drinking experience often makes their beer talk seemed strained, like they're reading a corporate mission statement. The upside is saucer may be some kind of accidental incubator for hot beer nerds.

Beer selection is very good, with all regions and styles making a solid showing.

They have some good specials but over all the prices are a little high. Paid $8 for regular Schneider & Sohn Hefe.

I don't mind going to this place and they often have great stuff on tap that you can't get anywhere else in town. But it is not my favorite, the saucer doesn't seem to know what it wants to be.

These are Chain Beer Bars with a theme. Decent bar food and good service. Great beer choices and the lady severs are outstanding in those skirts and socks. I really dig the way they lay out their taps. I wish I had one of those walls in my basement. They also give glasses away and you can buy any left over for a great price. Try the mystery beer (you know the ones they can't sell) I was surprised to receive a good beer. I was not a member, but it was kind of weird when my partner swiped a card in a computer and it suggested beers for him. Keep drinking and maybe someday you will get your name on a saucer.

It was also hard going from Lovjoys to this style beer bar that is way to bright. I am glad I wear sunglasses all the time.

It is always easy to beat up on chains, but after visiting several I wish I had one in my town. Later.

ive been to the flying saucer proably about twenty times now and have had many different types of nights.

for the most part i go on monday for 2 75 pint nights. ive had all the beers on the 2.75 list a bunch now but its still nice every now and then.good atmosphere. the beer prices are good and you can tell the food is a secondary there. its all the food you would expect at a bar but way too pricy.

my friend is a barback there and its nice to bump into someone i know. one night me and a friend had 2007 dfh 120s and midas touch. once i was done with my midas touch i asked the waitress to bring a 120 and she asked me about it and what it was so i told her... and then she came back with a malhuer 12!!! i didnt raise a fuss even though it was a 10 dollar bottle that i didnt order. just another example of places hiring pretty faces instead of knowledgable minds.this type of thing has happened more than a few times there